SEATTLE – Now it’s Gary Nova’s turn to point the finger. At least in the literal translation.

After an offseason in which his every word and move were scrutinized as he fought to reclaim the starting quarterback job for Rutgers football, Nova has more responsibility than ever as he was tasked Thursday night against Washington State with setting protections and checking plays at the line of scrimmage.

Given the susceptibility to turnovers that landed Nova on the bench for the final three games of last season, putting more on his plate is a gamble. But new offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen is all-in.

“It’s a little bit more like sophomore year when I was pointing out the (middle) linebacker and things like that,” Nova said. “Coach Friedgen and I have a really good relationship. He says a big part of what he does is trusting the quarterback to make him look good. That puts some pressure on me. But as a quarterback that’s what you sign up for. That’s what you want.”

Nova already has plenty of pressure on him as he leads Rutgers in the Big Ten after winning a competition that had five co-starters in spring camp and three at the start of training camp.

“Until Gary Nova is more consistent and takes better care of the football and gives the team a chance to win,” ESPN analyst and former Giants quarterback Jesse Palmer said, “I think that’s everybody’s biggest hesitation when trying to foresee Rutgers entering this new conference.”

Added ESPN’s David Pollack, “He does just enough to go, ‘Wow, OK, this kid can win.’ Then he does more than enough to shoot himself in the foot and cause you lose, too. So I don’t know what to expect from Rutgers. I know they’ve got to win some games.”

The senior’s last two seasons have followed the same path: A great first half – whether it’s 15 touchdowns and three interceptions through the first seven games in 2012 or 13 touchdowns and four interceptions through the first five games in 2013 – that crashes in mid-October and burns in November.

“It’s been a roller coaster for Gary,” ESPN’s John Congemi said. “To be honest with you, I don’t know if it’s him or the scheme or the talent around him. He is a guy who you feel like if he gets on a roll you’ve got a really talented quarterback. You’ve got the potential for big plays. When the roller coaster goes the other way and he tries to press a little bit, that’s when you have to step off the gas and just run the offense.”

Nova looked his best last season running the two-minute drill late in the fourth quarter against Fresno State and Temple and was 7-for-7 passing in the no-huddle during the first scrimmage of training camp.

“I think in two-minute drill you pretty much know what you’re going to get on defense,” Nova said. “Every quarterback is a competitor. That’s what you really want. You get excited in those moments. There is nothing left to do but go win the game so why not fire all the bullets and play confidently?”

Quarterbacks gaining freedom at the line of scrimmage is a popular trend across football – Washington State’s Connor Halliday says he makes 60-70 percent of the calls on the spot – but Rutgers coach Kyle Flood isn’t about to hand over that much power no matter how good the chemistry between Nova and Friedgen

“The benefit is you should minimize the dead plays that you run,” Flood said. “You shouldn’t be running plays where they have you out-numbered. You don’t want to spend the whole game checking at the line of scrimmage. We’re certainly not going to do that. But I think it does give you a higher percentage chance to be in a good play – and then when you do get 1-on-1s to take advantage of them.”

On the other hand, Nova’s command of the huddle was one of his most impressive attributes in camp.

“I like to try to get as close as possible to the offense to see where the guys are looking at,” Big Ten Network analyst Howard Griffith said after watching an August practice. “The offensive, the wide receivers, are they dialed in? Are all the eyes focused on the quarterback as he is making the calls? He had that.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Nova on Thursday was to put aside the emotions accompanying his return to the starting lineup coinciding with his final season opener and focus on picking apart a pass defense ranked 112th out of 123 in the nation last season.

Anything short of that might throw cold water on the idea of a new, humbler and more mechanically sound Nova that surfaced after he called Friedgen “the best teacher” he ever has had.

“He is obviously a great offensive mind but I think (former offensive coordinator) Ron Prince was that as well,” Palmer said. “I don’t think systematically there is really much you can do to make a quarterback stop turning the football over and stop throwing the football into traffic. It’s reps in practice. It’s a constant decision. It’s mental. Obviously Gary Nova late in his career in college needs to start showing that. All the physical tools are there. He gives you big plays. Explosive playmaking ability. If Gary Nova takes care of the ball and is more of a facilitator in this offense then everything will be alright.”